Buckle



No. 751,407. PATENTBD FEB.2I1904.

, H. L. PERRYMAN.

BUCKLE.

\ APPLICATION FILED 14:13.25, 1903. RBNBWBD JAN. 9. 1904.l

No MODEL.

me Nonms persas co., Pncrraurn. WASHINGTON. n. c.

Patented February 2, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

IIENRY L. PERRYMAN, oE SPRINGFIELD, oHIo.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,407, dated February2, 1904.l Application filed February 25, 1903. Renewed annary 9, 1904.Serial No.'l88,408. (No model.) f l Be it known that'I, HENRY L.PERRYMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in thecounty of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Buckles, of which the following -is a specification,lreference being vhad therein tothe accompanying drawings. A

This invention relates to buckles, and has for tain novel features,whichI will nowV proceed to describe and will then particularly pointout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewillustrating, one form of my.

tions.

invention as applied to a belt for personal wear. Fig. 2 is an enlargedplan section taken on the line w w of Fig. 1 and looking in thedirection of the arrows. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the devicefromthe rear,the` free end of the belt being removed from the buckle.Fig. 4. is fa detail perspective view of the tongue of the buckledetached, and Fig. 5 is a view of the engaging face of -the tongue.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention as applied to abelt for personal wear, although it will be understood thatmy improvedbuckle is capable of other applica- In said drawings, 1 indicates thebelt,y and'2 the body or frame of the buckle, which may be of anysuitable form. On its rear face this body or frame is provided with aflat bearing-surface 3, lying in the general plane ofthe back of thebody r`frame. I

luse the term flat in the sense of a smooth uninterrupted surface ascontradistinguished from a 4surface havingv projections lwhich cooperatewith the tongue to hold` the belt or strap. On each side lof thisbearing-surface 3 there extends outward fromthe back of the body a lugor projection 4. and to these lugs is pivoted at 5 the tongueorcross-bar 6 of the buckle. This tongue extends across the back of thebuckle, s0 as to swing across the bearing-surface 3 of the body thereof,and that portion of said tongue which lies between its pivotal axis andthe bearing-surface of the body of the buckle is so constructed that' itlterminates yadjacent to said bearingisurface y1n two engaging edges orangles 7 and 8, the

former of which is preferablylocated at a greater distance from thepivotal axis of the tongue than the latter. the tongue of sheet metal,for the reason that it can thus be made lighter and stronger and at lessexpense. The body portion 9 of the buckle terminates in endpieces 10,connected therewith and provided with apertures 11, through which thepivots 5 pass. The face *ofV the tongue oppositethe bearing-surface 3consists of a piece of metal 412, joined to the body 9 at its front edgeonly, its lateral margins being separated from the end piecesl 10 byslits13. The part 12 is deiiected upward or recessed between theengaging edges 'Tand 8, so as to form a clearance-space 14.. The part 12being united to the body of the I prefer to construct tongue-'at oneedgeonly and being of resilient material, the engaging edge 8 is free toyield away. from the bearing-surface 3 underpressure; the other engagingedge, '7 being rigid. In other words, the face portion ofthe tongue isconnected at one end to the rigid edge of the body portion thereof andis provided at its opposite end with an engaging edge free to yieldrelatively to the body of the tongue. The partglQ is preferably providedadjacent to the engaging edge 8 witha flange or extension 15, inclinedor curved so as to. present an outwardly-enlarging opening between itand the bearingface 3 when the tongue is sol turned as to bring said;angeA or extension opposite the bearing-surface. When one endof Vthebelt is attached to the tongue, which is the construction which Iprefer, it is connected t0 said tongue on the opposite side ofthepivotal 'axis thereof to that on which the engaging edges of the .tongueare located.- As a preferred means for effecting this connection I haveshownthe attached end of the belt las provided witha loop 16, to whichis connected a link 17, the ends of which enter sleeves l18, formed onthe upper edge of the body 9 of the tongue. The tongue is alsopreferably provided at the upper edge of the body 9 with an extension orpressure piece 19, extending in a general way parallel with a planeconnecting the engaging edges 7 and 8.

The body 2 of the buckle is preferably provided at one end with theusual guiding-loop 20. The tongue is preferably, but not necessarily,constructed of a single piece of resilient material.

In the operation of fastening the free end of the belt or strap by meansof the buckle the lower part of the tongue is so turned to the left,Fig. 2, that the free end may be introduced (from right to left in Fig.2 of the drawings) between said tongue and the bearing-surface 3, theange 15 acting as a guide during this operation. To secure the belt orstrap, the lower part of the tongue is then turned so as to bring theengaging edge 8 into contact with the belt or strap, and as the turningof the tongue to the right, Fig. 2, continues said engaging edgecompresses the belt and is itself free to yield under the resistancewhich the belt offers to compression. This action continues until theengaging edge 8 has passed what may be termed the centen or, in otherwords, the shortest line connecting the pivotal axis of the tongue withthe bearing-surface 8. As the turning motion of the tongue continues theresilience of the part 12 of the tongue and of the compressed materialof the belt moves the engaging edge 8 away from the bearing-surface 3,at the same time bringing the engaging edge 7 sharply down upon the beltandholding it there against accidental displacement. Thespring-supported engaging edge 8 thus serves as a locking device andautomatic engaging device for the tongue. Any strain on the free end ofthe belt tending to move it out of the buckle will be resisted by theengaging edge 7 of the tongue, which is located at such a distance fromthe pivotal axis of the tongue as to prevent its passing by itself thecenter when the belt is interposed between the tongue andbearing-surface 3. This grippingaction of the engaging edge 7 of thetongue is of course intensiiied when the other end of the belt isattached to the tongue, since the natural strain exerted on the belt bythe body surrounded thereby will tend to engage the edge 7 more firmlywith the belt as the tensional strain increases, thus gripping the beltbetween the edge 7 of the tongue and the abutment formed by thebearing-surface 3. Since this bearingsurface is Without any projection,the belt lies fiat thereon and is not sharply bent and thereby marred orinjured. The belt may be releasedby pressing on the pressure-piece 19toward the body of the buckle, whereupon the spring-supported engagingedge 8 and the material of which the belt is composed will yieldsufficiently to permit said engaging edge, moving to the left, Fig. 2,to pass the center in the reverse direction, after which the free end ofthe belt may be readily withdrawn from the buckle. The clearance-spacelformed in the engaging face of the tongue between the engaging edgesfacilitates the separate successive action of said engaging edges, whichis a feature of the operation thereof hereinbefore described.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise detailsof construction hereinbefore described: and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, as it is obvious that these details may be modied withoutdeparting from the principle of my invention.

I make no claim in this application to a buckle having a body providedwith a flat bearingsurface and a tongue pivoted to said body and havingseparated engaging edges located at different distances from the pivotalaxis of the tongue and having a clearance space between them, as such astructure forms the subjectmatter of an application filed by me 7, 1902,Serial No. 118,712.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A buckle comprising a frame or body having a iiat bearing-surface onits rear face, in combination with a tongue pivoted .to said frame orbody so as to swing across said bearing-surface, the engaging portion ofthe tongue terminating in separated engaging edges located at differentdistances from the pivotal axis of the tongue, the engaging edge nearestsaid axis being yielding or spring-supported and the other engaging edgebeing rigid, substantially as described.

2. A buckle comprising a frame or body having a iiat bearing-surface onits rear face, in combination with a tongue pivoted to said frame orbody so as to swing across said bearing-surface, the engaging portion ofthe tongue terminating in lsepal'ated engaging edges located atdifferent distances from the pivotal axis of the tongue and having aclearance-space between them, the engaging edge nearest said axis beingyielding or spring-supported to form a locking device to hold the tonguein engaging position, and the engaging edge farthest from the pivotalaxis being rigid serving to grip the belt or strap against thebearing-surface, substantially as described.

v 3. A buckle comprising a frame or body having a flat bearing-surfaceon its rear face, in combination with' a tongue pivoted to said frame orbody so as to swing across said bearing-surface,the engaging portion ofthe tongue terminating in separated engaging edges located at differentdistances from the pivotal axis of the tongue, the engaging edge nearestAugust IOO IIO

said axis being yielding or spring-supported and the other engaging edgebeing rigid, and a belt or strap connected to the tongue on the oppositeside of the pivotal axis from the engaging portion, substantially asdescribed.

4. A buckle comprising a frame or body having a flat bearing-surface onits rear face, in combination with a tongue pivoted to said frame orbody so as to swing across said bearing-surface, the engaging portion ofthe tongue terminating in separated. engaging edges located at diiferentdistances from the pivotal axis ofthe tongue and having aclearance-space between them, the engaging edge nearest said axis beingyielding or spring-supported to form a locking device to hold theytongue in engaging position, and the engaging edge farthest from thepivotal axis being rigid and serving to grip the belt or strap againstthe bearing-surface, and a belt or strap cbnnected to the tongue on theopposite side of the pivotal axis thereof from the engaging portion,substantially as described.

5. In a buckle of the character described,the combination, with a frameor body having a flat bearing-surface on its rear face, of a tonguepivoted to said frame or body so as to swing across saidbearing-surface,y said tongue comprising a body portion provided with arigid engaging edge and having end portions connected therewith toreceive the pivots, and a face portion of resilient material connectedto,

the rigid edge, and provided with an engaging edge at its opposite endfree to yield relatively to the body of the tongue, substantially asdescribed. p

6. In a buckle of the character described,the combination, with a frameor body having a flat bearing-surface on its rear face, of a tonguepivoted to said frame or body so as to swing across saidbearing-surface, said tongue comprising a body portion provided' with arigid engaging edge and having end portions connected therewith toreceive the pivots, and a face portion of resilient material connectedto the rigid edge, and provided with an engaging edge at its oppositeend free to yield relatively to the body of the tongue, said faceportion being curved or recessed to form a clearance-space,substantially as described.

7 In abuckle of the character described, the combination, with a frameor body having a lat bearing-surface on its rear face, of a tonguepivoted to said frame or body so as to swing across saidbearing-surface, said tongue comprising a body portion provided with arigid engaging edgeand having end portions connected therewith toreceive the pivots, and a face portion of resilient material connectedto the rigid edge and vprovided with an engaging edge at its oppositeend free to yield rela-A tively to the body of the tongue, said faceportion being provided with a guiding ange or extension adjacent to itsengaging edge, substantially as described.

8. A buckle comprising a frame or body having a flat bearing-surface onits rear face, in combination with a tongue pivoted to said frame orbody so as to swing across said bearingsurface,the engaging portion ofthe tongue terminating in separated engaging edges, one of which yisspring-supported so as to yield relatively to the body of the tongue,the other engaging edge being rigid, substantially asidescribed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY L. PERRYMAN.

Witnesses:

E. O. HAGAN, IRVINE MILLER.

